Presents a short historical and sociological analysis of reading in the Soviet Union from the beginning of the twentieth century to perestroika. Discusses some sociocultural problems associated with reading, including the prevailing social, economic and political crises in all spheres of life, particularly the cultural. (RS)

Advances in public education in the USSR have been impressive. Over a relatively short historical span, the country has seen not only the eradication of illiteracy but also the establishment of universal elementary and secondary education. Higher and secondary specialized education has expanded prodigiously. (RM)

A discussion of the history of China's higher education system summarizes the main characteristics of the traditional scholarly institutions and considers the western academic models introduced by foreign missionaries, those selected and implemented by Chinese modernizers, and the Soviet academic model adopted by Chinese Communist leaders in the…

Discusses the history of Russian literacy from Kievan Rus, through the Muscovite period, the Imperial period, and the postrevolutionary Soviet Union. Presents tables of literacy levels for various periods. Discusses evidence, theories, and problems with historians' assumptions. Concludes that, until recently, little impetus existed for the bulk of…